I found this little tidbit in "Root Cellaring"...
A low temperature of 28-31*F is considered a Light Frost
A low temperature of 24-28*F is considered a Moderate Frost
Anything below 24*F is considered a Severe Frost
Sending hubby out to get some supplies. I planned to go myself, but he wants to just go and get back i guess. Either that or he watches the kids while i go out, or he waits for me to pack up and unpack the little one at each stop while we are out. I agree his going would be the simplest. Just that when he goes out to get stuff i don't always end up with the exact thing i intended him to get. I try to send him out with item numbers and everything, but there is often a little snag like the quantity i want isn't available or maybe it comes in a different color than i needed, or maybe its cheaper in a different size so he goes for it-- but when he gets home, i say that the option was not interchangeable..,
I hope that does not happen this time. lol
I need him to go to Staples or any office supply store and get a few boxes of large binder clips. They are 2" wide and hold up to 1" thickness. I think they will make good row cover clips for the hoops. The hoops are 1/2" interior diameter and i think about 3/4" outside diameter. They run about $3.70 for a box of 12. Four boxes should be enough for now. I expect them to rust a bit and to not be very gentle on the Remay fabric, so i plan to cut some paddings of either synthetic fleece fabric or even use some of the heavy gauge clear vinyl i have lying around. The fleece will hold some moisture, the vinyl won't... i'll test it out as i go.
I also need some clothesline rope. Cotton would be best, but i think the kind that looks much like plastic raffia might be fine. As long as it is not the type that looks like the plastic version of metal cable.... but i think i might want to run the rope across the tops of the hoops- like a spine, to prevent the center sections from sagging. Too much sagging will cause billowing and movement when the wind blows. Billowing could chafe either the plants or the fabric and it also catches wind which might allow thew whole contraption to get airborne. At the least, i will need some soft rope to gather and tie the row cover material to close off the ends. I think if i tie it in a tight bow i will be able to loosen it so when i lift up a few feet of the sides i will have enough give.
I may need to fashion some sort of cotter pin anchor to the end hoops for insurance against this. I think a hole drilled through both hoop ends and the sockets and pinned with a simple galvanized nail will do it.
The final thing i need is a pack of grease pencils. They also call them China markers. The pull-string-and-peel-away type. They are great for marking plant tags and for making notes on calender pages tucked into plastic binder sleeves. I want assorted colors, but searching Staples' website, they only sell them one color at a time, by the dozen... although the assorted color packs exist, it looks like they don't carry them... unless its just not listed onsite.
We'll see how he does ;o)
I was thinking about using leftover plastic grocery bags for sandbags to tie down the row cover fabric. I'm not sure how well it will work (because smooth plastic is slippery) so that is another thing i'll have to see about when we get to it. I might not need bags at all if the row clips work well enough. Herrick Kimbal over at Wizbang, uses his home made, giant, wooden clothespins for his hoops. I'm not sure how windy it has ever gotten on him, but he seems to have good luck with 2 clips per hoop.
Both types of cucumber seed and the salsify are all coming up fast under lights...
1pm update.
I ended up going shopping for the stuffs i needed. It was probably a good thing since it was enough trouble for me.
I went to Staples and i looked through the pen & pencil aisle, didn't find the grease pencil/China marker by looking myself. So i asked for help, and they thought it might be in the art and classroom stuff aisle, i saw the charcoal pencils there that look almost the same... but they weren't there either.
So i figured i could just get them at another Office supply store, but i might as well get the binder clips while i was at Staples.
Well the binder clips were easy to find, but they were $4.99 a package! --and there were only 2 boxes on the shelf Online price is $3.49 a package... So now i was just mad. I planned to get 4 packages of the binder clips and i was going to be a fair amount more than i had been led to believe it would be.
So i put my empty basket away and went to walk out the door, and the man at the register noticed and asked me if i wasn't able to find what i needed. I told him about the pencils and the price on the binder clips. He told me that they price match, which i knew- but other stores make you print out the price at home then bring it in. I hadn't done that cause i wasn't expecting to need it, but Staples does not make you do this. That was soooo cool! So anyway, he was able to find my pencils and 4 boxes of binder clips, they price matched and if they hadn't done that it would have cost me another $9.00 because the pencils were also more at the store- but price-matched to the online listing.
So as weird as it was, i'm glad i went because hubby would have just taken the 2 boxes of clips, given up on the pencils and would not have known about the price matching.
I went to the Dollar Tree for the rope. I decided that their plastic raffia type clothesline rope would be best since it won't swell when it gets wet like cotton rope will. Since i plan to gather the row cover at the ends (kind of like a covered wagon) and tie it like a ponytail right at ground level, i will be easier to untie without soggy and swollen rope. The soft, plastic rope will stay dry.
The Tree also had it in 3 colors, so i thought i could color-code the rows,.. if i instruct my older daughter to help me weed the "blue row" i won't find her untying the "yellow row". Eh, it might make a difference, if not- it all costs the same.
I also got a couple cotton nets they had there. They are decorative nets, for hosting a Luau.... but i'm going to try them, they are 6'x8' and if they work even for the 3-4 months i will need them, it will be great. If not, i'm only out a few dollars and i'll have to buy nylon ones next year before everyone is out of them like they are now. Hah!
But it looks like the row covers might not get done today or at least in the next couple hours because hubby is taking a nap.
But he did set up the little weather station he bought me : http://www.lacrossetechnology.com/1910/
Its so cool! We will need to put the wind sensor in a better place later because the overgrown cedar baffles the breeze too much in the area that the sensor is in. We have had some big gusts that it hasn't 'felt'.
Oh, the recently planted seeds update- Yes the cucumbers and the salsify have come up, but so have the Yellow Pear tomatoes, the Rocky Ford melon and the Sundance summer squash.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
They're off...
Alibi cucumber and the Salsify have already sprouted. Other than that, not much else going on. I was surprised they came up so quickly so i figured i ought to make a note of it.
Rain in the area but it looks like we are going to miss getting it. Things are getting a bit dry. I did some weeding in the flowerbed and saw a snail shell but no live snails or slugs. I don't know if it is the dryness or the snail bait i put down, but either way i am grateful, The sevin dust and the diatomaceous earth mixture i used on the lilies seems to have knocked down those horrible red beetles that ate my plants last year and left gooey black frass on what was left.
I pulled a lot of what i was told was a type of goldenrod out of the garden. I have had it in there for a couple years now, each year trying to remember if it was a weed or a desirable plant and then forgetting what it looked like in the spring when it needed to be dealt with. This is why i blog now.
I bought a copy of "The Countryman's Year" by David Grayson. Found it at Amazon for just under $3, but of course the shipping was still $3.99 , grrrr... But i wanted it and it sounds like something i would enjoy.
I planted the rest of the Graffiti cauliflower last night, in peat pellets. I will keep them inside and see if anything grows. I am now out of them. If they don't grow i won't be getting them again. I thought i'd go easy on myself and buy a type that didn't need to be blanched but maybe it wasn't the best type to get?
Things i need to get going before too long:
Teasel...ornamental
Germander...herbal tea
Roma tomato- i found one last seed hiding in the corner of the seed packet
Rose orach...a salad 'green', red in this case
Cabbage- found a seed packet that should be used up
that's not all, but being climbed like a tree by a cranky 15-month-old is not conducive to list typing and remembering things *sigh*
Rain in the area but it looks like we are going to miss getting it. Things are getting a bit dry. I did some weeding in the flowerbed and saw a snail shell but no live snails or slugs. I don't know if it is the dryness or the snail bait i put down, but either way i am grateful, The sevin dust and the diatomaceous earth mixture i used on the lilies seems to have knocked down those horrible red beetles that ate my plants last year and left gooey black frass on what was left.
I pulled a lot of what i was told was a type of goldenrod out of the garden. I have had it in there for a couple years now, each year trying to remember if it was a weed or a desirable plant and then forgetting what it looked like in the spring when it needed to be dealt with. This is why i blog now.
I bought a copy of "The Countryman's Year" by David Grayson. Found it at Amazon for just under $3, but of course the shipping was still $3.99 , grrrr... But i wanted it and it sounds like something i would enjoy.
I planted the rest of the Graffiti cauliflower last night, in peat pellets. I will keep them inside and see if anything grows. I am now out of them. If they don't grow i won't be getting them again. I thought i'd go easy on myself and buy a type that didn't need to be blanched but maybe it wasn't the best type to get?
Things i need to get going before too long:
Teasel...ornamental
Germander...herbal tea
Roma tomato- i found one last seed hiding in the corner of the seed packet
Rose orach...a salad 'green', red in this case
Cabbage- found a seed packet that should be used up
that's not all, but being climbed like a tree by a cranky 15-month-old is not conducive to list typing and remembering things *sigh*
Friday, May 14, 2010
Seeds...
Those Zsa Zsa pepper seeds just like to sit i guess.... i just decided to put them on a heat pad. My actual Seedling Heat Mat does not seem to be working anymore, but i did dig up a ZooMed heat pad for reptiles that i had saved from when we had pets that needed it. I have never had germination trouble with peppers, sweet or hot, so i am annoyed with these seeds.
Asparagus seedling count... out of i think 70 seeds i got 40 to germinate so far. There are more coming up here and there so that number might increase, but if it does not i have plenty as of now. It is a good deal, 40 plants for about $2.00 from seed.
Now that i have had more time to wait and see what definitely did not survive the frost i counted them up. Since it was quite a disruption and i had no extra seeds of some things, i will have to redo the GrowVeg plot.... again... Funny thing is thaat about 2 weeks ago, i thought i wouldn't need to do that again until January lol. I'm lucky that i enjoy these things. Someone around my age who is more into Clubbing, partying and stuff like that would probably find me incredibly boring.
Good.
That way they leave me alone! ;0)
I am a novice home brewer, i love a glass or two at a time of a good wine, i intend to grow some fruits that can also be made into wine, and the only mixed drink i really enjoy is a sweet-tart margarita, but i don't understand the obsession with getting drunk every weekend or even every night. I like to be social, but frankly i am more interested in tomato varieties than pop culture and social alcoholism.
Oh, where was i...? Oh yes, how boring i am. And to prove it, here is another boring list!
Of what maybe made it through the frosty night and what seeds i replanted out of the remainder of my Ridiculously Large Seed Stash:
What made it:
Tomato- Pruden's Purple (5)
Tomato- Yellow Pear (2)
Tomato- Polfast (3)
Tomatillo- Purple (4)
Tomato- Roma (2?)
Artichokes- Imperial Star (2)
Sweet Pepper- New Ace (2)
Hot pepper, Jalapeno- Fooled You (4)
Summer Squash- Patty Pan Sunburst (1)
Eggplant- Slim Jim (5)
Anything not listed was a total loss.
Assorted Herbs survived, many of the perennial flowering plants i sowed did fine. The herb that took the hardest hit was the Basil, i had 2 types and i lost at least half of the 18 cells i seeded.
I did lose the single Loenotis leonurus seed that had sprouted at the time so i have to find the space to start those again.
Other plants that went through the cold night that aren't listed have done fine. Like the asparagus, broccoli, pak choi, lettuce.... The only thing that isn't doing well with no real excuse is the durned cauliflower. The two sprouts that didn't get sunburned haven't grown hardly a bit and the seeds i stuck in over a week ago have shown no sign of sprouting. Really disappointing. I almost wonder if the seedlings that croaked really were sunburned, they may have been from bad seed. So maybe i got 2 packs of bad seed this year. Not good. I might put the few remaining cauliflower seeds into peat pellets and see if it was a bad batch.
Things are starting to get frustrating.
This is the list of what got replanted, 6 each except the salsify- 12 of those:
Tomato- Empire Hybrid
Sweet Pepper- Red Knight
Hot Pepper- Chiltepin
Tomato- Siberian
Tomato-Black from Tula
Sweet Pepper- New Ace
Cucumber- Summer Dance
Cucumber- Alibi
Pattypan Summer Squas- Sunburst
Summer Squash- Sundance
Winter Squash- Long Island Cheese
Winter Squash- Red Eye
Acorn Squash- Carnival
Melon- Hale's Best
Melon- Rocky Ford
Melon- Banana
Watermelon- Pony Yellow
Watermelon- Tom Watson
Tomato- Yellow Pear
Eggplant, Ornamental- Scarlet Chinese
Salsify- Sandwich Island Mamoth
Beans, half bush- Appaloosa
Job's Tears
Later i'll edit my stash list so i don't miss ordering anything for next year that i want to plant again. I already started a list of things to buy again when i was low on them, but now i am out.
I also put together a list of the "Last Chance" varieties at Pinetree, those are the seeds they will discontinue before next catalog. A few of my favorites are on it, so i need to stock up on those and store them well in hopes that get back in the catalog before i use them up or they expire. See, i may need to get a mini fridge for a better reason that before.
Still reading Root Cellaring, the beginning is full of garden advice so far and i'm getting into the part of the book where they are starting to discuss actual storage. They put in a nice list of varieties that they have found to be 'good keepers' well suited to root cellar storage, i am finding that to be very helpful and i recognise many of the varieties and their suggested sources.
I may stick pretty close to their suggestions for next year.
Its cloudy today and i went out to water the carrots and radishes i planted. The radishes are no-shows so far and i don't know if the carrots are sprouting...? There are sprouts here and there under the boards and i don't know if they are weeds. They aren't numerous enough for me to tell if they are in the grid formation i made my seed tape in...I'm used to tiny gardens made mostly up of weed-free potting soil and bagged manure, not wild dirt. Seed tape is more obvious without weeds. And have not tried growing carrots for at least 3 years now and it has been longer since before that. So i really don't remember what a carrot seedling looks like with just seed leaves. So, since it is a cloudy day i took the boards off and hopefully if the seedlings are not weeds the sun won't burn them. I thought carrots are supposed to take weeks to sprout, so i am befuddled.
I'd like to know where my radish sprouts are...
Again, i see sprouts in the radish bed, but they aren't coming up in a line like the seeds i planted. I know things shift a little when watered or the roots sometimes move the leaves off to the side, but not halfway across the row.
I'll just keep waiting.
Asparagus seedling count... out of i think 70 seeds i got 40 to germinate so far. There are more coming up here and there so that number might increase, but if it does not i have plenty as of now. It is a good deal, 40 plants for about $2.00 from seed.
Now that i have had more time to wait and see what definitely did not survive the frost i counted them up. Since it was quite a disruption and i had no extra seeds of some things, i will have to redo the GrowVeg plot.... again... Funny thing is thaat about 2 weeks ago, i thought i wouldn't need to do that again until January lol. I'm lucky that i enjoy these things. Someone around my age who is more into Clubbing, partying and stuff like that would probably find me incredibly boring.
Good.
That way they leave me alone! ;0)
I am a novice home brewer, i love a glass or two at a time of a good wine, i intend to grow some fruits that can also be made into wine, and the only mixed drink i really enjoy is a sweet-tart margarita, but i don't understand the obsession with getting drunk every weekend or even every night. I like to be social, but frankly i am more interested in tomato varieties than pop culture and social alcoholism.
Oh, where was i...? Oh yes, how boring i am. And to prove it, here is another boring list!
Of what maybe made it through the frosty night and what seeds i replanted out of the remainder of my Ridiculously Large Seed Stash:
What made it:
Tomato- Pruden's Purple (5)
Tomato- Yellow Pear (2)
Tomato- Polfast (3)
Tomatillo- Purple (4)
Tomato- Roma (2?)
Artichokes- Imperial Star (2)
Sweet Pepper- New Ace (2)
Hot pepper, Jalapeno- Fooled You (4)
Summer Squash- Patty Pan Sunburst (1)
Eggplant- Slim Jim (5)
Anything not listed was a total loss.
Assorted Herbs survived, many of the perennial flowering plants i sowed did fine. The herb that took the hardest hit was the Basil, i had 2 types and i lost at least half of the 18 cells i seeded.
I did lose the single Loenotis leonurus seed that had sprouted at the time so i have to find the space to start those again.
Other plants that went through the cold night that aren't listed have done fine. Like the asparagus, broccoli, pak choi, lettuce.... The only thing that isn't doing well with no real excuse is the durned cauliflower. The two sprouts that didn't get sunburned haven't grown hardly a bit and the seeds i stuck in over a week ago have shown no sign of sprouting. Really disappointing. I almost wonder if the seedlings that croaked really were sunburned, they may have been from bad seed. So maybe i got 2 packs of bad seed this year. Not good. I might put the few remaining cauliflower seeds into peat pellets and see if it was a bad batch.
Things are starting to get frustrating.
This is the list of what got replanted, 6 each except the salsify- 12 of those:
Tomato- Empire Hybrid
Sweet Pepper- Red Knight
Hot Pepper- Chiltepin
Tomato- Siberian
Tomato-Black from Tula
Sweet Pepper- New Ace
Cucumber- Summer Dance
Cucumber- Alibi
Pattypan Summer Squas- Sunburst
Summer Squash- Sundance
Winter Squash- Long Island Cheese
Winter Squash- Red Eye
Acorn Squash- Carnival
Melon- Hale's Best
Melon- Rocky Ford
Melon- Banana
Watermelon- Pony Yellow
Watermelon- Tom Watson
Tomato- Yellow Pear
Eggplant, Ornamental- Scarlet Chinese
Salsify- Sandwich Island Mamoth
Beans, half bush- Appaloosa
Job's Tears
Later i'll edit my stash list so i don't miss ordering anything for next year that i want to plant again. I already started a list of things to buy again when i was low on them, but now i am out.
I also put together a list of the "Last Chance" varieties at Pinetree, those are the seeds they will discontinue before next catalog. A few of my favorites are on it, so i need to stock up on those and store them well in hopes that get back in the catalog before i use them up or they expire. See, i may need to get a mini fridge for a better reason that before.
Still reading Root Cellaring, the beginning is full of garden advice so far and i'm getting into the part of the book where they are starting to discuss actual storage. They put in a nice list of varieties that they have found to be 'good keepers' well suited to root cellar storage, i am finding that to be very helpful and i recognise many of the varieties and their suggested sources.
I may stick pretty close to their suggestions for next year.
Its cloudy today and i went out to water the carrots and radishes i planted. The radishes are no-shows so far and i don't know if the carrots are sprouting...? There are sprouts here and there under the boards and i don't know if they are weeds. They aren't numerous enough for me to tell if they are in the grid formation i made my seed tape in...I'm used to tiny gardens made mostly up of weed-free potting soil and bagged manure, not wild dirt. Seed tape is more obvious without weeds. And have not tried growing carrots for at least 3 years now and it has been longer since before that. So i really don't remember what a carrot seedling looks like with just seed leaves. So, since it is a cloudy day i took the boards off and hopefully if the seedlings are not weeds the sun won't burn them. I thought carrots are supposed to take weeks to sprout, so i am befuddled.
I'd like to know where my radish sprouts are...
Again, i see sprouts in the radish bed, but they aren't coming up in a line like the seeds i planted. I know things shift a little when watered or the roots sometimes move the leaves off to the side, but not halfway across the row.
I'll just keep waiting.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Yay
I found an ebay seller that sells spores of Matteuccia struthiopteris. Known as the Ostrich fern, but known to us Mainers (whether they know the botanical fancypants name or not) as the edible Fiddlehead.
This is one of those native spring delicacies that people from away tend to be leery of. They grow in many other states and i'm sure people eat them, but it seems to be more of the thing to do up here. In other places, people keep them as pet plants in shade gardens, having no idea that they have something yummy in the ground.
I have been trying to establish a patch in the yard for a few years, i have only a couple hold-outs left since the shady spot they were in has become less shady as we have cleared out an overgrown and dying cedar that was hit by lightening a few years back. There is one of those 'trees' left and as soon as possible, i want that removed too. Its really just an overgrown hedge plant that got away from the previous owner and instead of being a neatly clipped landscape bush, it is now a towering 35' monstrosity. Anyway, its not long for this place, the only reason i haven't pestered our Tree Man to come take it now is because there is a family of Blue Jays nesting in it. So, hopefully later this fall....
Ok, where was i...
Oh yes, so the seller sells spores and i think i can handle starting those indoors and then planting out the ferns in a nice shady spot on the opposite side of the shed that is next to my garden.
The older ferns need to be moved there once things around the house (spring cleaning/rearranging) cools off.
I am also hoping to get some Ramps (wild leek/wild onion) from Oikos to plant there as well... yummy leek-like Ramps and delicious and limited seasonal Fiddleheads.
I can't go tramping for Fiddleheads anymore on account of my bad leg and my uncle who used to supply the family with them, has been gone for a few years now. I think of him when i see them actually...
So, hopefully i can have good luck with this plan....
She also sells Huckleberry seeds, i plan to try those too. And i ordered more letuce seed from her.
Yay!
This is one of those native spring delicacies that people from away tend to be leery of. They grow in many other states and i'm sure people eat them, but it seems to be more of the thing to do up here. In other places, people keep them as pet plants in shade gardens, having no idea that they have something yummy in the ground.
I have been trying to establish a patch in the yard for a few years, i have only a couple hold-outs left since the shady spot they were in has become less shady as we have cleared out an overgrown and dying cedar that was hit by lightening a few years back. There is one of those 'trees' left and as soon as possible, i want that removed too. Its really just an overgrown hedge plant that got away from the previous owner and instead of being a neatly clipped landscape bush, it is now a towering 35' monstrosity. Anyway, its not long for this place, the only reason i haven't pestered our Tree Man to come take it now is because there is a family of Blue Jays nesting in it. So, hopefully later this fall....
Ok, where was i...
Oh yes, so the seller sells spores and i think i can handle starting those indoors and then planting out the ferns in a nice shady spot on the opposite side of the shed that is next to my garden.
The older ferns need to be moved there once things around the house (spring cleaning/rearranging) cools off.
I am also hoping to get some Ramps (wild leek/wild onion) from Oikos to plant there as well... yummy leek-like Ramps and delicious and limited seasonal Fiddleheads.
I can't go tramping for Fiddleheads anymore on account of my bad leg and my uncle who used to supply the family with them, has been gone for a few years now. I think of him when i see them actually...
So, hopefully i can have good luck with this plan....
She also sells Huckleberry seeds, i plan to try those too. And i ordered more letuce seed from her.
Yay!
Pictures
I took some pictures the other evening. They were taken near a baseball field where our daughter's softball team plays sometimes.
It was so cold out, but the surrounding forest looked so green and lush.
My new camera lens has some lint inside it, so it is really hard to get the focus right.
The big tree looks like it wanted to lay down for a nap.
These are pictures i like to look at on hot summer days...
It was so cold out, but the surrounding forest looked so green and lush.
My new camera lens has some lint inside it, so it is really hard to get the focus right.
These are pictures i like to look at on hot summer days...
Just reminding myself...
I need to prioritize the Parsnip planting today. I feel like i am so far behind. Probably because half the other blogs i read are by people who live at least one zone south of me and that puts me about a week to 10 days behind them per zone. But i can keep myself in check to some extent by reading the Johnny's Seeds blog. They are in my zone so i can pretty much follow their lead.
They had Globe Artichokes survive the winter under their row covers this year. I think that is awesome. They are taking root divisions and planting them out right about now. My Imperial Star Artichoke (same as theirs) seedlings withstood the hard frost of the other day and that softened the blow of losing all else. Artichokes are up at the top of my list for favorite veggies, like in the top 5...and i'm a vegeholic. But its hard to grow them up here and the grocery stores want a lot for them.... other than pickled or canned, there isn't much else to get. Pickled and canned are fine, but fresh is a goal i'd like to achieve.
The Jerusalem Artichokes are looking good. Getting taller, it looks like all 4 varieties are making a good showing. I can't wait to try the different ones side-by-side and see what characteristics they have.
Found this Video on YouTube. I hope it links. I need a hoe like this cause i think it will save me a lot of trouble if i can imitate this method.
*************************
Circa 1:38 pm
I got the parsnips planted. So that is one thing accomplished today. I also put up the last 2 hoops that i still had. I need to get the rest of them this weekend and install them so i can get the broccoli and suchlike out there.
My used books are on their way, their estimated delivery dates are both June 3...
I am reading "Root Cellaring" now, so far it is interesting.
They had Globe Artichokes survive the winter under their row covers this year. I think that is awesome. They are taking root divisions and planting them out right about now. My Imperial Star Artichoke (same as theirs) seedlings withstood the hard frost of the other day and that softened the blow of losing all else. Artichokes are up at the top of my list for favorite veggies, like in the top 5...and i'm a vegeholic. But its hard to grow them up here and the grocery stores want a lot for them.... other than pickled or canned, there isn't much else to get. Pickled and canned are fine, but fresh is a goal i'd like to achieve.
The Jerusalem Artichokes are looking good. Getting taller, it looks like all 4 varieties are making a good showing. I can't wait to try the different ones side-by-side and see what characteristics they have.
Found this Video on YouTube. I hope it links. I need a hoe like this cause i think it will save me a lot of trouble if i can imitate this method.
*************************
Circa 1:38 pm
I got the parsnips planted. So that is one thing accomplished today. I also put up the last 2 hoops that i still had. I need to get the rest of them this weekend and install them so i can get the broccoli and suchlike out there.
My used books are on their way, their estimated delivery dates are both June 3...
I am reading "Root Cellaring" now, so far it is interesting.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Seed day..
Got my seeds from Amishland Heirloom Seeds this morning. The seeds look good, She was unfortunately, out of one of the seed packs i really wanted, it was a mini melon that is very early since it needs much less growing time. Since i lost most all my melon plants in the frost on Monday, i was looking forward to this little melon. BUT- its not like it is her problem, she is a small operation and it is early May. I was happy she had enough seeds for me at all this year. Snooze, i lose.... but i will remember to order from her next year! I hope to add her to my recommended shopping list too.
I also managed to replant many of my seeds, there were a number of them that i had no replacement seeds for and there are now even more that i am totally out of.
I am mostly upset about the Roma tomatoes... i really wanted lots of paste tomatoes this summer. We use those more than the juicier types and i hoped to learn how to can this year and spaghetti sauce was high on my list. Hubby loves tomato products.
But i separated out the 'hopefully not dead' and i have about 1/4 left... the Roma tomatoes are among those but i completely lost my Garden Peach and Black from Tula tomatoes. The Romas might pull through. I have one Black from Tula that i kept, the seed had just sprouted and it almost looks fine. But i don't know if it will get anywhere cause late seedlings are often very weak and don't do a whole lot after finally sprouting. But i kept some just in case they pull through, even then i expect weak plants. This will be a hard setback to recover from.
I really wish i'd brought them in, but the forecast tripped me up... still i should have simply taken the precaution.
I was pretty surprised to see that the Slim Jim eggplant and the New Ace peppers were fine. At least from where i can see. The seedlings must be small enough to have withstood the frost. The ZsaZsa peppers are still no-shows. Even the second batch i planted 6 days ago (and have kept inside) are showing absolutely nothing. I have never had unexplained bad germination from Pinetree before... i wonder if this is a batch problem or if it is too early to tell. Obviously they are not a good wintersowing variety since they were the only seeds that did not do anything..
Everything else i planted was... if it wasn't such a weird spring the seedlings probably would have stayed smaller and taken that hard frost better.
I got an email from Farmer's Almanac yesterday and they had an article on how the last 3 days historically carry frosts... If they had sent it Sunday, i might have taken it as historical advice.
This is stuff i need to remember for next year! lol
But in all i guess it is ok. I fortunately had some seeds left, and there is a good nursery nearby, though i really wanted to do this completely on my own this year... I almost made it!
I will have to edit my Ridiculously Long Seed List...maybe it won't be so ridiculous after all.
Scary thing is that i may go hog wild next winter and buy another huge bunch of seeds to replace all the empty packets i produced this year! It almost makes me look forward to January.
Oh, i did plant a few Salsify seeds to fill up space in the resown flats and i took the Marigold flat and resowed in the cells where nothing had sprouted. So i am out of those Marigold seeds.
I have to go through my herb flats and resow some more no-shows and my Basil that got frosted.
I consoled myself by ordering some books at Amazon.
I found some pretty decent used prices...
"The Pruning Book" i got for $6.84 shipped
"Seed to Seed" for $11.94 shipped
I also bought "Root Cellaring" on Kindle for PC -which i thought was awesome since i use my netbook for reading PDF books, and now i can read Kindle books without buying a Kindle. "Root Cellaring" cost $9.99, no paying for shipping. Amazon had a few other books for a few dollars that i grabbed andthere were a couple good freebies. So i have plenty to read- as if i didn't before. :0)
I checked Henry Field's website for my Fig tree since i have heard nothing... shipping date is now set for May 19-26..... *sigh*
My Venous Orange isn't looking so hot. The curled leaves dropped a couple days ago. It simply looks yellower than the others, so i don't know if it will slowly die or not. But the other two do look fine.
I didn't get the Parsnips planted yet, with the replanting i had to do, i ran out of time.
So i think that is it for today.
I also managed to replant many of my seeds, there were a number of them that i had no replacement seeds for and there are now even more that i am totally out of.
I am mostly upset about the Roma tomatoes... i really wanted lots of paste tomatoes this summer. We use those more than the juicier types and i hoped to learn how to can this year and spaghetti sauce was high on my list. Hubby loves tomato products.
But i separated out the 'hopefully not dead' and i have about 1/4 left... the Roma tomatoes are among those but i completely lost my Garden Peach and Black from Tula tomatoes. The Romas might pull through. I have one Black from Tula that i kept, the seed had just sprouted and it almost looks fine. But i don't know if it will get anywhere cause late seedlings are often very weak and don't do a whole lot after finally sprouting. But i kept some just in case they pull through, even then i expect weak plants. This will be a hard setback to recover from.
I really wish i'd brought them in, but the forecast tripped me up... still i should have simply taken the precaution.
I was pretty surprised to see that the Slim Jim eggplant and the New Ace peppers were fine. At least from where i can see. The seedlings must be small enough to have withstood the frost. The ZsaZsa peppers are still no-shows. Even the second batch i planted 6 days ago (and have kept inside) are showing absolutely nothing. I have never had unexplained bad germination from Pinetree before... i wonder if this is a batch problem or if it is too early to tell. Obviously they are not a good wintersowing variety since they were the only seeds that did not do anything..
Everything else i planted was... if it wasn't such a weird spring the seedlings probably would have stayed smaller and taken that hard frost better.
I got an email from Farmer's Almanac yesterday and they had an article on how the last 3 days historically carry frosts... If they had sent it Sunday, i might have taken it as historical advice.
This is stuff i need to remember for next year! lol
But in all i guess it is ok. I fortunately had some seeds left, and there is a good nursery nearby, though i really wanted to do this completely on my own this year... I almost made it!
I will have to edit my Ridiculously Long Seed List...maybe it won't be so ridiculous after all.
Scary thing is that i may go hog wild next winter and buy another huge bunch of seeds to replace all the empty packets i produced this year! It almost makes me look forward to January.
Oh, i did plant a few Salsify seeds to fill up space in the resown flats and i took the Marigold flat and resowed in the cells where nothing had sprouted. So i am out of those Marigold seeds.
I have to go through my herb flats and resow some more no-shows and my Basil that got frosted.
I consoled myself by ordering some books at Amazon.
I found some pretty decent used prices...
"The Pruning Book" i got for $6.84 shipped
"Seed to Seed" for $11.94 shipped
I also bought "Root Cellaring" on Kindle for PC -which i thought was awesome since i use my netbook for reading PDF books, and now i can read Kindle books without buying a Kindle. "Root Cellaring" cost $9.99, no paying for shipping. Amazon had a few other books for a few dollars that i grabbed andthere were a couple good freebies. So i have plenty to read- as if i didn't before. :0)
I checked Henry Field's website for my Fig tree since i have heard nothing... shipping date is now set for May 19-26..... *sigh*
My Venous Orange isn't looking so hot. The curled leaves dropped a couple days ago. It simply looks yellower than the others, so i don't know if it will slowly die or not. But the other two do look fine.
I didn't get the Parsnips planted yet, with the replanting i had to do, i ran out of time.
So i think that is it for today.
Things to do...
So, today i need to take a close look at what got frosted the other night and assess what might pull through and eliminate what most certainly won't. Then i need to restart seeds of what i still have left.
Where i was trying to use up some very old seed (8+ years), i might not have enough left.... once i figure out what i do have, i will have to re-plot my planting plan. I may end up with some empty spaces...
I also have to get the parsnips planted, before i do that i need to get the spade fork in there and try and loosen the soil deeper than where it was tilled. It just needs a few more inches.
I ran out of hoop pipes, i should have plenty for sockets, but i need 14 more of the 1/2".
Good thing is that it is all reusable next year.
I need hubby to help me spread the Remay over the hoops, hopefully this weekend so i can get the broccoli, pak choi, onion and other hardy stuff set in and get my radishes protected before they sprout and attract bugs.
I also need to tag my tulips, daffs and other perennials so when my mom helps me dig out the flower beds this fall i will have some idea of what is what so it can be put together again nicely. I'm giving her all my Iris. They are just too big for my front gardens. Their fans are too large and they are too tall and the slugs love them because they are in shade for a good part of the morning. There are three colors going on, but the colors are scattered.
When we bought the house, my first project was to pull everything out of these gardens and get rid of all the weeds. I put back all the good stuff and planted a few of my own things. But the iris colors are all random in there. But i think my mom would like to have them all grouped by color, so i will try to tag those as well.
I have not gotten to the decorative plant tag project yet. For that i will actually have to get my husband to watch the little one for a whole day and do my daily chores for me.
I also need to separate out some of the seed flats. I keep calling them 6packs but they are actually 9 cells. But anyway, i have some things in the flats that either didn't come up or have not come up or were frost bitten. I need to cut out the cell packs that have plants in them and put them all in new flats so i am not wasting space. Also i can replant in the empty ones.
I have way more things to do than i have time to do it in, but isn't that the way of things :0)
Where i was trying to use up some very old seed (8+ years), i might not have enough left.... once i figure out what i do have, i will have to re-plot my planting plan. I may end up with some empty spaces...
I also have to get the parsnips planted, before i do that i need to get the spade fork in there and try and loosen the soil deeper than where it was tilled. It just needs a few more inches.
I ran out of hoop pipes, i should have plenty for sockets, but i need 14 more of the 1/2".
Good thing is that it is all reusable next year.
I need hubby to help me spread the Remay over the hoops, hopefully this weekend so i can get the broccoli, pak choi, onion and other hardy stuff set in and get my radishes protected before they sprout and attract bugs.
I also need to tag my tulips, daffs and other perennials so when my mom helps me dig out the flower beds this fall i will have some idea of what is what so it can be put together again nicely. I'm giving her all my Iris. They are just too big for my front gardens. Their fans are too large and they are too tall and the slugs love them because they are in shade for a good part of the morning. There are three colors going on, but the colors are scattered.
When we bought the house, my first project was to pull everything out of these gardens and get rid of all the weeds. I put back all the good stuff and planted a few of my own things. But the iris colors are all random in there. But i think my mom would like to have them all grouped by color, so i will try to tag those as well.
I have not gotten to the decorative plant tag project yet. For that i will actually have to get my husband to watch the little one for a whole day and do my daily chores for me.
I also need to separate out some of the seed flats. I keep calling them 6packs but they are actually 9 cells. But anyway, i have some things in the flats that either didn't come up or have not come up or were frost bitten. I need to cut out the cell packs that have plants in them and put them all in new flats so i am not wasting space. Also i can replant in the empty ones.
I have way more things to do than i have time to do it in, but isn't that the way of things :0)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Carrot & Parsnip Seed Tape
Simple DIY. I actually saw seed tape for sale at a big box store a few weeks ago. I sort of laughed at the price...
Its easy to make if you don't mind being a little nit-picky.
I don't like to thin, so i rarely sow direct because when i do i tend to oversow and annoy myself.
So here's how i do it.
Paper towel.... 2 ply is great, the cheapest is actually better than what i have because it is thin.
Don't separate the ply right yet, it will save work later if you don't. If you want narrow rows use a mid grade TP.
Get a ruler, glue, pencil and a felt marker and seeds.
check the spacing of the seeds and get ready to mark your grid.
I'm spacing mine closer since i plan to harvest them small... my garden soil is not very deep so i can't expect long roots at all.
This is why i leave the ply intact until marking is finished and use a felt pen. Saved half the effort.
I have even gotten this marker to mark through 4 layers of ply, but 6 seems too much...or i would need a juicier marker.
So now i separate the ply.
Running out of room at the edge is ok because you can overlap them in the garden to keep relatively even rows
Glue dots...
Oh, yes... its not a bad idea to put a sheet of waxed paper underneath to keep the glue from getting on the work surface, but if it does, the paper toweling pops off ok if you are careful.
Tiny carrot seeds, these are Cosmic Purple. (funny, they don't look purple- lol)
.Tedious, but i'd rather do this comfortably seated at the kitchen table than bent over a row with the wind blowing everything to kingdom come.
The lick-a-toothpick method works great for this.
The glue (unlike some seed starting mixes) is more than happy to grab the seed from the moist toothpick.
Label it so it won't get mixed up.
Lay them aside separately to dry or they will stick together if the glue spots touch. I think that would make a huge mess of the situation!
I'll put these in the garden once i get them all finished. I want at least6 squares of paper towel in size for each variety.
But it does take time to make them...
Planting out.
Its good to let them dry completely, just so they don't stick to each other. Try to do this on a still day... In the last few years i have found my home to be on one of the breeziest areas i have ever known. Its almost constant and just strong enough to be irritating.
But anyway, spray down the dirt. It gives the paper something to adhere to immediately so you have an extra split second to grab a few clods of handful of dirt before the breeze picks it up.
Rocky I
Quick, hit it with water before the wind blows it away!
This is actually the last sheet of seeds, the rest you can see are covered in dry dirt. The wind was being too pesky for me to take the time to grab the camera.
I also had to work fast because i had the little one out there with me, in a stroller and she wasn't being very patient.
So, i covered the covered and well watered seed tapes with plywood boards and i hope those don't blow away!
Its easy to make if you don't mind being a little nit-picky.
I don't like to thin, so i rarely sow direct because when i do i tend to oversow and annoy myself.
So here's how i do it.
Paper towel.... 2 ply is great, the cheapest is actually better than what i have because it is thin.
Don't separate the ply right yet, it will save work later if you don't. If you want narrow rows use a mid grade TP.
Get a ruler, glue, pencil and a felt marker and seeds.
check the spacing of the seeds and get ready to mark your grid.
I'm spacing mine closer since i plan to harvest them small... my garden soil is not very deep so i can't expect long roots at all.
This is why i leave the ply intact until marking is finished and use a felt pen. Saved half the effort.
I have even gotten this marker to mark through 4 layers of ply, but 6 seems too much...or i would need a juicier marker.
So now i separate the ply.
Running out of room at the edge is ok because you can overlap them in the garden to keep relatively even rows
Glue dots...
Tiny carrot seeds, these are Cosmic Purple. (funny, they don't look purple- lol)
.Tedious, but i'd rather do this comfortably seated at the kitchen table than bent over a row with the wind blowing everything to kingdom come.
The lick-a-toothpick method works great for this.
Label it so it won't get mixed up.
Lay them aside separately to dry or they will stick together if the glue spots touch. I think that would make a huge mess of the situation!
I'll put these in the garden once i get them all finished. I want at least6 squares of paper towel in size for each variety.
But it does take time to make them...
Planting out.
Its good to let them dry completely, just so they don't stick to each other. Try to do this on a still day... In the last few years i have found my home to be on one of the breeziest areas i have ever known. Its almost constant and just strong enough to be irritating.
But anyway, spray down the dirt. It gives the paper something to adhere to immediately so you have an extra split second to grab a few clods of handful of dirt before the breeze picks it up.
Rocky I
This is actually the last sheet of seeds, the rest you can see are covered in dry dirt. The wind was being too pesky for me to take the time to grab the camera.
So, i covered the covered and well watered seed tapes with plywood boards and i hope those don't blow away!
Ouch.
Frost last night.
The forecast said 31 for a low.
But actual low was around 27 degrees.
I have proof!
...
I have no idea which will come back and which won't. Kinda stinks, looks like things got just a bit too cold. Since some things are alive it had to have been just on the edge.
If i had expected the temps to be almost 5 degrees below what was forecast, i would have brought them all in.
Good thing is that much of what i may have lost can be replanted as seeds in the garden, that is the normal procedure for them anyway. I was hoping to get a head start if possible, but that's not gonna happen.
So.... its back to the drawing board for most of what was growing so well.
I'm going to let it go a couple days to see if anything perks back up, if not i will restart some of those tomatoes- at least the ones that i still have seeds for. They will need to be started indoors in the normal way because the outside will be too cool for the soil to allow quick germination. There should be enough time for them since they always get leggy on me when i plant them the usual 4-6 weeks before planting. Even when i have them under adequate light.
But i'm going to try and make the seed 'tape' for the carrots today. I might try and take pictures of how to do it.
Carrots are one of those things that really need to be planted like this, otherwise i would have to lean over my rows planting individual seeds forever. I don't sow carrot seeds very neatly and i hate thinning.
So, let me gather my materials and find my camera....
The forecast said 31 for a low.
But actual low was around 27 degrees.
I have proof!
I have no idea which will come back and which won't. Kinda stinks, looks like things got just a bit too cold. Since some things are alive it had to have been just on the edge.
If i had expected the temps to be almost 5 degrees below what was forecast, i would have brought them all in.
Good thing is that much of what i may have lost can be replanted as seeds in the garden, that is the normal procedure for them anyway. I was hoping to get a head start if possible, but that's not gonna happen.
So.... its back to the drawing board for most of what was growing so well.
I'm going to let it go a couple days to see if anything perks back up, if not i will restart some of those tomatoes- at least the ones that i still have seeds for. They will need to be started indoors in the normal way because the outside will be too cool for the soil to allow quick germination. There should be enough time for them since they always get leggy on me when i plant them the usual 4-6 weeks before planting. Even when i have them under adequate light.
But i'm going to try and make the seed 'tape' for the carrots today. I might try and take pictures of how to do it.
Carrots are one of those things that really need to be planted like this, otherwise i would have to lean over my rows planting individual seeds forever. I don't sow carrot seeds very neatly and i hate thinning.
So, let me gather my materials and find my camera....
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Cold.
It was supposed to go down to 31 degrees tonight and tomorrow night, but the forecast writeup changed and now it says 34 degrees is expected for both nights. I still have most things in the greenhouses, so all i have to do is move the stuff i was hardening off undercover just in case it frosts.
I did plant a few short rows of radishes, Hailstone, french Breakfast and Round Black. I only did one strip of each except the French Breakfast, that was 2 lines. I put them where the corn should go later. So they won't interfere by the time the corn needs the room. I really want radishes and i probably could have planted them about a week earlier. I should get the onions in as soon as i can.
I will probably spend most of tomorrow cutting more sockets and hopefully finish up the hoops.
By the time i get them all up it should be time to get stuff in and the cover over them.
I did plant a few short rows of radishes, Hailstone, french Breakfast and Round Black. I only did one strip of each except the French Breakfast, that was 2 lines. I put them where the corn should go later. So they won't interfere by the time the corn needs the room. I really want radishes and i probably could have planted them about a week earlier. I should get the onions in as soon as i can.
I will probably spend most of tomorrow cutting more sockets and hopefully finish up the hoops.
By the time i get them all up it should be time to get stuff in and the cover over them.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Lettuce
I am am a seedling thin-o-phobe. I hate to thin seedlings,, i usually avoid having to do it by only dropping one seed if i think i can get away with it. But yesterday evening i decided i needed to thin my buttercrunch lettuce and some of the pak choi peat pellets had two plants in them. I figured i had waited long enough, i had wanted the thinnings to be large enough for eating. I also thinned out a couple collards.
I got quite a bit, probably enough to put on a few burgers, but we ate them right up. I didn't even think to take pictures until it was mostly gone.
Its a big deal enough to take a picture because this represents the first harvest of any sort this year.
The pak choi were about 3 inches high, the buttercrunch was about 6 inches and the collards were just getting their 4th set of leaves.
It was all pretty yummy, we each had a few bites. They didn't need dressing.
Technically they didn't come from the garden, but its still the first edible of the year grown at home.
I got to make my Avocado soup today also. Its a cold soup, basically a guacamole.
3 Avocadoes
2 cups water
2.5 teaspoons Lowry's seasoned salt
1 cup heavy cream
juice of one lemon
avocadoes, lemon juice, seasond salt and water go into the processor or blender. Wizz 'till smooth. Then add the cream and pulse to mix it in, blend too long and it will become butter, so just get it combined. Then chill it at least one hour.
If i had cilantro that would be a garnish. I think i have sour cream, a dollop in the center of the serving bowl will go nice. I do have some green onion, i'll probably garnish with that too.
Its a Low Carb delight.
I also made some deviled eggs with a nice pate' i bought at a local sausage kitchen. It has black truffle in it. Wish i could garnish the eggs with caviar... lol. Yeah, i don't get caviar too often, but sometimes i like to pretend i could. Even if i had the money for good caviar, i'd probably spend it on something far more practical.... and likely enjoy it longer.
But caviar, pate'... the closet foodie in me just loves to think about it.
Well, as of yesterday we have officially had Molly for a week. She is getting on well with us. I think she was depressed for the first few days, she wouldn't eat. She drank well enough, but not her food. But she would accept treats, so i knew it wasn't anything serious. She is eating normally now.
She prefers to spend much of the day outside, so i put a temporary tie-up out there. We haven't decided where to put her permanent tether stake yet. I have her in a nice shady spot in the grass and she goes from napping in the sun to the shade from late morning to early afternoon when she likes to come in and stretch out on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor. In the evenings, she naps on the armchair we designated as 'hers'.
She is a good dog for a small house and a small yard. They don't need miles of walking or large open spaces to run.So that is good. But she is a beggar. A shameless beggar. So we gate her away from any room where there is food.
But its all fine.
Got to decide what to do with that grape plant. Its still in its pot. It will need a trellis of some type so i need to decide how to peg up a single plant or decide if i want more than one and then what will i do?
I got quite a bit, probably enough to put on a few burgers, but we ate them right up. I didn't even think to take pictures until it was mostly gone.
Its a big deal enough to take a picture because this represents the first harvest of any sort this year.
The pak choi were about 3 inches high, the buttercrunch was about 6 inches and the collards were just getting their 4th set of leaves.
It was all pretty yummy, we each had a few bites. They didn't need dressing.
Technically they didn't come from the garden, but its still the first edible of the year grown at home.
I got to make my Avocado soup today also. Its a cold soup, basically a guacamole.
3 Avocadoes
2 cups water
2.5 teaspoons Lowry's seasoned salt
1 cup heavy cream
juice of one lemon
avocadoes, lemon juice, seasond salt and water go into the processor or blender. Wizz 'till smooth. Then add the cream and pulse to mix it in, blend too long and it will become butter, so just get it combined. Then chill it at least one hour.
If i had cilantro that would be a garnish. I think i have sour cream, a dollop in the center of the serving bowl will go nice. I do have some green onion, i'll probably garnish with that too.
Its a Low Carb delight.
I also made some deviled eggs with a nice pate' i bought at a local sausage kitchen. It has black truffle in it. Wish i could garnish the eggs with caviar... lol. Yeah, i don't get caviar too often, but sometimes i like to pretend i could. Even if i had the money for good caviar, i'd probably spend it on something far more practical.... and likely enjoy it longer.
But caviar, pate'... the closet foodie in me just loves to think about it.
Well, as of yesterday we have officially had Molly for a week. She is getting on well with us. I think she was depressed for the first few days, she wouldn't eat. She drank well enough, but not her food. But she would accept treats, so i knew it wasn't anything serious. She is eating normally now.
She prefers to spend much of the day outside, so i put a temporary tie-up out there. We haven't decided where to put her permanent tether stake yet. I have her in a nice shady spot in the grass and she goes from napping in the sun to the shade from late morning to early afternoon when she likes to come in and stretch out on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor. In the evenings, she naps on the armchair we designated as 'hers'.
She is a good dog for a small house and a small yard. They don't need miles of walking or large open spaces to run.So that is good. But she is a beggar. A shameless beggar. So we gate her away from any room where there is food.
But its all fine.
Got to decide what to do with that grape plant. Its still in its pot. It will need a trellis of some type so i need to decide how to peg up a single plant or decide if i want more than one and then what will i do?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Hoops are up... well, many of them
But less than half, but its not a bad thing.
This tool is great, but it is hard on my small girlish hands...
Um, so... i didn't measure all that well when i marked my template pipe that i was using to mark out each cut. So my sockets are all one foot, one inch long. I was going for 12".... so i have one short useless piece of waste pipe from each length. But it looks like some of my sockets actually need that extra inch, so i'm not going to dwell on it.
I put the string back up cause i was having trouble keeping the sockets in a straight enough line.
And i got my big hammer and my 4' measuring stick.
It takes extra whacks if i find a rock... and i did a few times.
Good 'nuff
Do that another..16 times.
Then pop in the hoops... that is the fun part!
I make sure the print on the pipe is facing the back. Just to make things look a teensy bit more professional. lol
I really like the way this looks... Wonder if Jonah would agree?
Beat pipe in another 16 times and viola! Another whale's ribcage.
Now the burning question....
Will my childbearing hips fit between the rows?
Ok, yes i do fit, but i was really worried for a while. I also have to be able to lean into the rows between the hoops without putting my bottom through the other row. I tip over a lot, so falling into the other rows is a real possibility!
A good day's work.
I like the look of it, i wonder if the neighbors think i am crazy. You really can't miss these, even though its in the back.
Lilacs definitely bloomed early this year...here's a giant bouquet i picked yesterday
And these guys are being hardened-off to get stuck in the garden in just a few more days
I might try to cut some more pipe....
...and i just noticed that the weather forecast is threatening night time lows of 31 degrees on Sunday night. Arrgh. It might change...?
This tool is great, but it is hard on my small girlish hands...
Um, so... i didn't measure all that well when i marked my template pipe that i was using to mark out each cut. So my sockets are all one foot, one inch long. I was going for 12".... so i have one short useless piece of waste pipe from each length. But it looks like some of my sockets actually need that extra inch, so i'm not going to dwell on it.
I put the string back up cause i was having trouble keeping the sockets in a straight enough line.
And i got my big hammer and my 4' measuring stick.
It takes extra whacks if i find a rock... and i did a few times.
Good 'nuff
Do that another..16 times.
Then pop in the hoops... that is the fun part!
I make sure the print on the pipe is facing the back. Just to make things look a teensy bit more professional. lol
I really like the way this looks... Wonder if Jonah would agree?
Beat pipe in another 16 times and viola! Another whale's ribcage.
Now the burning question....
Will my childbearing hips fit between the rows?
Ok, yes i do fit, but i was really worried for a while. I also have to be able to lean into the rows between the hoops without putting my bottom through the other row. I tip over a lot, so falling into the other rows is a real possibility!
A good day's work.
I like the look of it, i wonder if the neighbors think i am crazy. You really can't miss these, even though its in the back.
Lilacs definitely bloomed early this year...here's a giant bouquet i picked yesterday
And these guys are being hardened-off to get stuck in the garden in just a few more days
I might try to cut some more pipe....
...and i just noticed that the weather forecast is threatening night time lows of 31 degrees on Sunday night. Arrgh. It might change...?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Rain and things to do
Its raining lightly this morning. When the little one takes her nap, i'm going to go out and spread the slug, snail & earwig bait.
Oh, my leg hurts so bad today. I think the weather and over doing it yesterday are the culprits. Its almost like being punished.
But since it is raining out, i won't be feeling like i should be out there trying to do things. But i'm sure i can find things that need doing in here that can be done while seated.
Like getting the Paeonia anomala seeds started. And i have to decide what i am going to do with those Goji seedlings. I think i got 100% germination out of those berries and the seedling are in clumps.
I also need to resow a few of my flats where germination has been sparse.
I also have other seeds that need starting...annuals.
I am having no luck with the sweet pepper seeds i planted. The old 'fooled you' Jalapeno seeds did sprout and the seedlings are doing well. The Chiltepin peppers are no-shows. But those are old seeds. I am a bit annoyed with the Zsa-zsa sweet pepper seeds. Not a one sprouted. At all. It has been warm enough in the greenhouses, so i don't know what the deal is. But i'm going to try again. I guess it won't be too bad if i have to go to the local nursery this year to get sweet pepper seedlings.
We may get some rather cold nights over the weekend. The forecast is saying 34 degree overnights for Sunday and Monday.
This tells me that it is not a bad thing to not have some seedlings in the garden right yet. I think the GrowVeg database is off by maybe a week ot two. The thing is that since they don't have the last frost date data for my actual town, they use the closest town to me, which is just on the edge of the Zone 5a/b border. My town and actual yard are firmly within Zone 5b according to this map .
I guess bottom line is that their estimate is about as accurate as any one else's guess for weather at this time of year..so i won't fret about not having things done according to the schedule they offer. Although i'd really like to have these things scheduled down to the letter, i know it doesn't work that way.
I got my order confirmation from Amishland seeds, she takes about 5 days for turnaround during her busy season, i don't know if this time of year is still busy for her. I would think things start to slow down for seeds about now since we, out at the far point of the northeast, are coming within 4 weeks of setting out our tenderest plants and most of those were started from seed at least a week ago. Unless you are late! So i figure the soonest i will get my seeds is next week, since she is in Pennsylvania, the seeds won't be traveling too far once they hit the post office.
I think i am going to try and make plant markers with some old Sculpey clay that i have. I bought it on clearance at Staples a number of years ago for less than half price. I bought 4 boxes of 1.75 pounds each. I only got to use one box, it is white so i was thinking i could sculpt then paint it, but i never got to use the rest...
But i think i could make a few blank plaques out of it, using my pasta machine to get a consistent thickness and impress some patterns onto the edges, then bake them. I could use them flat on the soil as tiles or i could epoxy the plaques to some cut-up clothes hanger wire and use them as stakes. I don't know if i should write the plant names on them after baking, or if i should scraffito them in... or use colored clays to embellish them... I think for the tomato plants i could make gift tag style markers and just tie them to the base of the vines. I'm going to know what is where pretty well by reminding myself with my GrowVeg plan, but the rest of the family might not. I might get as many as 10 plaques out of each box if i make them 4"x5". I don't know, i'll see what i have time to do. Plenty of ideas and materials, but so little time.
My dad stopped by with another load of loam/compost. This load is for the yard itself, so hubby has some hope of growing a lawn. The ground is mostly sand right now and there is nothing to help anything grow, so a couple loads of nice dark dirt will put a few inches of topsoil down and grass might get to grow.
Oh, and one of my horseradish roots have sprouted....
Oh, my leg hurts so bad today. I think the weather and over doing it yesterday are the culprits. Its almost like being punished.
But since it is raining out, i won't be feeling like i should be out there trying to do things. But i'm sure i can find things that need doing in here that can be done while seated.
Like getting the Paeonia anomala seeds started. And i have to decide what i am going to do with those Goji seedlings. I think i got 100% germination out of those berries and the seedling are in clumps.
I also need to resow a few of my flats where germination has been sparse.
I also have other seeds that need starting...annuals.
I am having no luck with the sweet pepper seeds i planted. The old 'fooled you' Jalapeno seeds did sprout and the seedlings are doing well. The Chiltepin peppers are no-shows. But those are old seeds. I am a bit annoyed with the Zsa-zsa sweet pepper seeds. Not a one sprouted. At all. It has been warm enough in the greenhouses, so i don't know what the deal is. But i'm going to try again. I guess it won't be too bad if i have to go to the local nursery this year to get sweet pepper seedlings.
We may get some rather cold nights over the weekend. The forecast is saying 34 degree overnights for Sunday and Monday.
This tells me that it is not a bad thing to not have some seedlings in the garden right yet. I think the GrowVeg database is off by maybe a week ot two. The thing is that since they don't have the last frost date data for my actual town, they use the closest town to me, which is just on the edge of the Zone 5a/b border. My town and actual yard are firmly within Zone 5b according to this map .
I guess bottom line is that their estimate is about as accurate as any one else's guess for weather at this time of year..so i won't fret about not having things done according to the schedule they offer. Although i'd really like to have these things scheduled down to the letter, i know it doesn't work that way.
I got my order confirmation from Amishland seeds, she takes about 5 days for turnaround during her busy season, i don't know if this time of year is still busy for her. I would think things start to slow down for seeds about now since we, out at the far point of the northeast, are coming within 4 weeks of setting out our tenderest plants and most of those were started from seed at least a week ago. Unless you are late! So i figure the soonest i will get my seeds is next week, since she is in Pennsylvania, the seeds won't be traveling too far once they hit the post office.
I think i am going to try and make plant markers with some old Sculpey clay that i have. I bought it on clearance at Staples a number of years ago for less than half price. I bought 4 boxes of 1.75 pounds each. I only got to use one box, it is white so i was thinking i could sculpt then paint it, but i never got to use the rest...
But i think i could make a few blank plaques out of it, using my pasta machine to get a consistent thickness and impress some patterns onto the edges, then bake them. I could use them flat on the soil as tiles or i could epoxy the plaques to some cut-up clothes hanger wire and use them as stakes. I don't know if i should write the plant names on them after baking, or if i should scraffito them in... or use colored clays to embellish them... I think for the tomato plants i could make gift tag style markers and just tie them to the base of the vines. I'm going to know what is where pretty well by reminding myself with my GrowVeg plan, but the rest of the family might not. I might get as many as 10 plaques out of each box if i make them 4"x5". I don't know, i'll see what i have time to do. Plenty of ideas and materials, but so little time.
My dad stopped by with another load of loam/compost. This load is for the yard itself, so hubby has some hope of growing a lawn. The ground is mostly sand right now and there is nothing to help anything grow, so a couple loads of nice dark dirt will put a few inches of topsoil down and grass might get to grow.
Oh, and one of my horseradish roots have sprouted....
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Very tired.,..
Got all the walking paths cleared.
Got most of the beds smoothed...
I even got some sockets cut and pounded in so i could test the hoops.
I cut the sockets only 12" long so i could get 10 out of each length. It seems to be a functional length.
They are a little uneven, but that's cause my spacing wasn't exact and when the sockets go in, they like to lean in different directions. This could be fixed by making myself some sort of rigid measuring grid and making longer sockets, but i think once the Remay is on, it won't be as obvious.
I cut the spacing strings through the beds, i think i might put them back to install all the hoops.
I want to lay out some plastic, but i think i am officially wiped out.
...several minutes later...
Oh! and i just thought of something that will save me the expense of buying sandbags if i need them to hold down the row cover. I could use plastic grocery bags. Just fill them with dirt or anything, tie them up and trim the loose ends so it doesn't look like garbage and drop them where needed. I have a lot of them kicking around. It came to me when i was messing around with the trash bags i might open up and use for warming the soil.
Ok, i need to rest. Even my fingers hurt. lol
Got most of the beds smoothed...
I even got some sockets cut and pounded in so i could test the hoops.
I cut the sockets only 12" long so i could get 10 out of each length. It seems to be a functional length.
They are a little uneven, but that's cause my spacing wasn't exact and when the sockets go in, they like to lean in different directions. This could be fixed by making myself some sort of rigid measuring grid and making longer sockets, but i think once the Remay is on, it won't be as obvious.
I cut the spacing strings through the beds, i think i might put them back to install all the hoops.
I want to lay out some plastic, but i think i am officially wiped out.
...several minutes later...
Oh! and i just thought of something that will save me the expense of buying sandbags if i need them to hold down the row cover. I could use plastic grocery bags. Just fill them with dirt or anything, tie them up and trim the loose ends so it doesn't look like garbage and drop them where needed. I have a lot of them kicking around. It came to me when i was messing around with the trash bags i might open up and use for warming the soil.
Ok, i need to rest. Even my fingers hurt. lol
I wonder if i am going to have enough PVC for the number of hoops i need. I wonder if hubby is going to have a cow if i decide i need more. He just might if i can't make do with what i've got.
I am pretty sure i won't have enough for the anchor sockets... I can cut those and find out pretty fast since hubby bought a PVC cutter a while back. I had forgotten this and planned to use the shoelace saw trick. It works (i have done it many times before) but it makes a mess. The PVC cutter works just like a pruning shears. It is much faster too.
I may need sand bags to hold down the Reemay edges, but i won't be sure until i get it all set up.
I think i decided what to do about hoop clips. I'm going to get some of the thinner walled PVC and split them up one side, then to protect the Reemay from rough edges, i can cut scraps of polar type fleece into pads to go between the clip and the Reemay covered hoop. If i leave plenty of extra material around the edges it should cushion any rubbing that the wind will cause. I have plenty of fleece fabric.
As soon as the little one gets settled down for her late morning nap i will be out there, trying to finish up the walking rows. After that, the hard labor will be mostly over. I am very sore from yesterday, but the idea is that i can get this hard stuff done, then rest a few whole days. I can get some frost resistant things planted this weekend. Like radishes and salsify, kale and onions. The rest of the rows, like where the corn is going, can be covered in black plastic to speed up the soil heating.
Some things will need row cover as soon as they are planted. I keep seeing cabbage butterflies in the yard and while i don't mind picking a few caterpillars out of my broccoli as i am cleaning it for the table, i don't want an infestation.
I also have to decide how i want to measure out the garden in the opposite direction. I where i am trialing so many plants this year and using up old seeds before they go bad, i need to measure carefully to fit them all in but still let them have the right amount of room. But i don't want to go through the tedium of laying the string out in the opposite direction and i know that i will trip over it all anyway.
Maybe i will just make a giant ruler out of a scrap of plywood and use the 100' tape measure. Since i will have the hoops spaced 4' apart that will also be a measurement guide.
I think i will end up with extra space in the melon/squash patch since i charted it out for one plant per hill, but i plan to plant 2 to 3 per hill and won't need half the space i charted. I might be able to put the popping sorghum in there, but that needs as much room as corn....
Also found this while puttering around, looking at more season extenders:
DIY Wall-o-Water
Oh and i just ordered some more seeds from a small grower: Amishland Seeds
She had this odd eggplant that i have seen called "Pumpkin on a Stick" they are very bitter though edible, but i want them as an ornamental. I am also getting a super tiny and very early type of watermelon from her called Golden Midget. I hope she has a quick mail out system. :o)
Housework time....
I am pretty sure i won't have enough for the anchor sockets... I can cut those and find out pretty fast since hubby bought a PVC cutter a while back. I had forgotten this and planned to use the shoelace saw trick. It works (i have done it many times before) but it makes a mess. The PVC cutter works just like a pruning shears. It is much faster too.
I may need sand bags to hold down the Reemay edges, but i won't be sure until i get it all set up.
I think i decided what to do about hoop clips. I'm going to get some of the thinner walled PVC and split them up one side, then to protect the Reemay from rough edges, i can cut scraps of polar type fleece into pads to go between the clip and the Reemay covered hoop. If i leave plenty of extra material around the edges it should cushion any rubbing that the wind will cause. I have plenty of fleece fabric.
As soon as the little one gets settled down for her late morning nap i will be out there, trying to finish up the walking rows. After that, the hard labor will be mostly over. I am very sore from yesterday, but the idea is that i can get this hard stuff done, then rest a few whole days. I can get some frost resistant things planted this weekend. Like radishes and salsify, kale and onions. The rest of the rows, like where the corn is going, can be covered in black plastic to speed up the soil heating.
Some things will need row cover as soon as they are planted. I keep seeing cabbage butterflies in the yard and while i don't mind picking a few caterpillars out of my broccoli as i am cleaning it for the table, i don't want an infestation.
I also have to decide how i want to measure out the garden in the opposite direction. I where i am trialing so many plants this year and using up old seeds before they go bad, i need to measure carefully to fit them all in but still let them have the right amount of room. But i don't want to go through the tedium of laying the string out in the opposite direction and i know that i will trip over it all anyway.
Maybe i will just make a giant ruler out of a scrap of plywood and use the 100' tape measure. Since i will have the hoops spaced 4' apart that will also be a measurement guide.
I think i will end up with extra space in the melon/squash patch since i charted it out for one plant per hill, but i plan to plant 2 to 3 per hill and won't need half the space i charted. I might be able to put the popping sorghum in there, but that needs as much room as corn....
Also found this while puttering around, looking at more season extenders:
DIY Wall-o-Water
I happen to have a sudden surplus of 2 liter bottles. And suddenly, while wondering where to store them until next year, I saw The Light !
Take six or seven 2 liter bottles. Group them around one in the center so you have a circle of bottles.
Duct tape the group together at half-way up.
Now pull out the center bottle so you have a kind of 'donut'.
Put in the garden over a new tomato transplant. Fill with water from your hose.
Instant Wall-O-Water.
Cost, 10 cents deposit each in Michigan, plus duct tape.
Plants will get some light from through the 2 liter bottles and eventually grow above them.
The heat of the sun will warm the water in the bottles.
Six bottles times two liters is 12 liters.
That's three gallons, roughly.
One BTU is the heat stored in one gallon of water by one degree Farenheit.
If you can store twenty degrees of warmth during the day, that gets you 60 BTU's of heat stored for the cool nights.
Throwing a cap over this setup would conserve that warmth to deter fr*st.
And it's not unreasonable that you could store more heat in the water than that.
Paint the bottles on the North side of the plant black to store more heat. Add a pinch of salt to the water to push the heat storage a bit.
You might get up to 120 BTUs stored in the bottles, ideally.
Enough to last through a 38 degree night. Maybe.
Oh and i just ordered some more seeds from a small grower: Amishland Seeds
She had this odd eggplant that i have seen called "Pumpkin on a Stick" they are very bitter though edible, but i want them as an ornamental. I am also getting a super tiny and very early type of watermelon from her called Golden Midget. I hope she has a quick mail out system. :o)
Housework time....
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Its starting to look like a garden!
I couldn't wait to start the walking rows and i wanted to test a hoop... so i took some Motrin and when things began to get dull, i went and tried it.
Took me about 40 minutes to clear it, small shovel loads....
Aaand.... i got to test a hoop:
I only had one piece of PVC pipe that i could use as the socket, i need to cut some more soon. So i used a cinder block for now. But the PVC socket works perfectly, i think its about 18" long and all but 6 inches of it are in the ground. Maybe they could be shorter, but this seems to work fine. I'll have to decide how short they can be and still anchor it enough.
Ok, not that i am certain that this these parts of the garden are going to work out the way i hoped, i can relax about it.
Took me about 40 minutes to clear it, small shovel loads....
Aaand.... i got to test a hoop:
I only had one piece of PVC pipe that i could use as the socket, i need to cut some more soon. So i used a cinder block for now. But the PVC socket works perfectly, i think its about 18" long and all but 6 inches of it are in the ground. Maybe they could be shorter, but this seems to work fine. I'll have to decide how short they can be and still anchor it enough.
Ok, not that i am certain that this these parts of the garden are going to work out the way i hoped, i can relax about it.
Flying fig and string-marking the garden.
The delivery estimate for my fig tree from Henry field's has changed. It used to have an estimated ship date of 5-3-10/5-10-10. Now it is scheduled for 5-11-10/5-18-10.
Oh, i can't forget to make room in the garden planner for my popping sorghum...!
11:30 am update.
It took me almost 2 hours cause i am so slow, but i got the garden all marked out.
First thing i did was re-peg the corners. My dad plowed under one or two and in some places he tilled well within where i had marked. Its ok, but i have to recalculate some square footage because of it.
When i got the pegs in, i strung the pegs together to mark out the perimeter. Once that was done, i used our 100' flexible tape measure to mark the string with a Sharpie in 1' increments. Then i took fluorescent survey tape and made little flags and numbered them and tied them on. If i didn't do that i would have had to run back and forth along the garden to count the Sharpie marks to be sure my rows were corresponding from one end to the other.
It is all strung here.
I was thrilled to see that i still ended up with 5 rows and plenty of walking room between. The last row toward the trees is even bigger than i had expected. It is 6 feet wide so it will be the perfect spot for all the melons, cucumbers and winter squash...and those gourds.
.
I made a 1' edging along the starting side so that we will have room to put some boards or bricks to make a sharp border, if we don't it will at least be a buffer between the lawn mower and the garden pants.
In the picture below, i used clothes pins to mark the per foot measurements. The pink flags were great, but it was time consuming. While i was rifling around for my other shoes, i noticed i had a whole pack of new clothespins. They will still be usable for laundry after this, so why not?
I'm hoping this won't be an issue... but i am 1.5' short over here... This should be 28' long. I might get out the mantis or just hand-straighten it.
.
This end is fine. :0)
Measuring the squash and melon bed. I love extra room!
.
The apples are officially in bloom....
Are they supposed to smell? Cause i'm not getting even a whiff... but i have had so many bad sinus infections, my sense of smell is almost gone.
I don't know what this is all about. Maybe the branch was damaged and its being weird or maybe the Bonide can't fix whatever this issue is? I'll have to look it up
I can see a chewed leaf right up against the white post. Maybe my Bonide mixture was too weak?
Or maybe it really just reduces insect damage... i guess that makes sense. Eliminating it entirely might not be as good as it sounds, chemical overkill.
I don't know. All products sell themselves as a cure-all.
Well, i am beat. It is very nice out, but hot in the sun. The ground is uneven in the garden where it was tilled... the soft spots were a killer on my leg. I hope to get the walkways scooped and the soil up on the beds tomorrow.
I'm debating on whether to use the Ortho snail-be-gone stuff yet. It has been a fairly dry spring for us here.. Last year it was so wet that all my plants were snail eaten. The earwigs were coming into the house and getting trapped in our clean dishes! It was disgusting. Since the snails have not been a bother yet, i'm not sure what to do. The earwigs have always been a problem. Every year they destroy my sweet peppers by boring holes into the fruit and then feasting on it all cozy-like from the interior. They also attack my corn, worse than the caterpillars. But i have not seen any yet. I don't know if i should be proactive or if it might be too late by the time i realize they are an issue...
I think i will treat... it might rain this evening or overnight and the instructions say to use it on damp ground for best results. So i might do this later tonight or tomorrow in the morning. I have to watch the dog around the area i put it.
Oh... and before i forget, i need to get ready to plant carrots and parsnips. This means i need to get ready to make the seed tape for easier planting, better seed economy and almost no thinning. So i hope to be able to make up a sort of tutorial to post for fun.
Also i need to remind myself of something i came across recently. When planting seeds directly in the ground that are the type that can only be covered thinly (like carrots and parsnips), the way to keep them moist is to cover the planted area with a board. Plant the seeds, cover them normally, water them in and then cover with a board. Check daily for signs of germination then remove the board but continue to water frequently.
Oh, i can't forget to make room in the garden planner for my popping sorghum...!
11:30 am update.
It took me almost 2 hours cause i am so slow, but i got the garden all marked out.
First thing i did was re-peg the corners. My dad plowed under one or two and in some places he tilled well within where i had marked. Its ok, but i have to recalculate some square footage because of it.
When i got the pegs in, i strung the pegs together to mark out the perimeter. Once that was done, i used our 100' flexible tape measure to mark the string with a Sharpie in 1' increments. Then i took fluorescent survey tape and made little flags and numbered them and tied them on. If i didn't do that i would have had to run back and forth along the garden to count the Sharpie marks to be sure my rows were corresponding from one end to the other.
I was thrilled to see that i still ended up with 5 rows and plenty of walking room between. The last row toward the trees is even bigger than i had expected. It is 6 feet wide so it will be the perfect spot for all the melons, cucumbers and winter squash...and those gourds.
I made a 1' edging along the starting side so that we will have room to put some boards or bricks to make a sharp border, if we don't it will at least be a buffer between the lawn mower and the garden pants.
In the picture below, i used clothes pins to mark the per foot measurements. The pink flags were great, but it was time consuming. While i was rifling around for my other shoes, i noticed i had a whole pack of new clothespins. They will still be usable for laundry after this, so why not?
This end is fine. :0)
Measuring the squash and melon bed. I love extra room!
.
The apples are officially in bloom....
Are they supposed to smell? Cause i'm not getting even a whiff... but i have had so many bad sinus infections, my sense of smell is almost gone.
I don't know what this is all about. Maybe the branch was damaged and its being weird or maybe the Bonide can't fix whatever this issue is? I'll have to look it up
I can see a chewed leaf right up against the white post. Maybe my Bonide mixture was too weak?
Or maybe it really just reduces insect damage... i guess that makes sense. Eliminating it entirely might not be as good as it sounds, chemical overkill.
I don't know. All products sell themselves as a cure-all.
Well, i am beat. It is very nice out, but hot in the sun. The ground is uneven in the garden where it was tilled... the soft spots were a killer on my leg. I hope to get the walkways scooped and the soil up on the beds tomorrow.
I'm debating on whether to use the Ortho snail-be-gone stuff yet. It has been a fairly dry spring for us here.. Last year it was so wet that all my plants were snail eaten. The earwigs were coming into the house and getting trapped in our clean dishes! It was disgusting. Since the snails have not been a bother yet, i'm not sure what to do. The earwigs have always been a problem. Every year they destroy my sweet peppers by boring holes into the fruit and then feasting on it all cozy-like from the interior. They also attack my corn, worse than the caterpillars. But i have not seen any yet. I don't know if i should be proactive or if it might be too late by the time i realize they are an issue...
I think i will treat... it might rain this evening or overnight and the instructions say to use it on damp ground for best results. So i might do this later tonight or tomorrow in the morning. I have to watch the dog around the area i put it.
Oh... and before i forget, i need to get ready to plant carrots and parsnips. This means i need to get ready to make the seed tape for easier planting, better seed economy and almost no thinning. So i hope to be able to make up a sort of tutorial to post for fun.
Also i need to remind myself of something i came across recently. When planting seeds directly in the ground that are the type that can only be covered thinly (like carrots and parsnips), the way to keep them moist is to cover the planted area with a board. Plant the seeds, cover them normally, water them in and then cover with a board. Check daily for signs of germination then remove the board but continue to water frequently.
Monday, May 3, 2010
We have hit the 80's
Boy, it was warm today! Very humid as well, but the stiff breeze made it quite pleasant....
At 4:30pm it is in the low 80's and there were thunderstorms to the north of us, racing across the state, but they stayed well away from us and the ones that were in line to get us just faded out well before they got here. Its a little bit disappointing because i love a good thunderstorm.
I didn't take any pictures today, but the apple trees are just on the verge of blooming. There are apple trees in the area that are in bloom, but not mine quite yet.
I'm not sure how i am going to get the measuring done for the garden, i know how...but not quite when. I have to be somewhat precise with my rows and beds since i am using the hoop and row covers. I have to have 4 foot beds, and 2 foot walking rows. If the beds are wider the hoops won't fit, if it is narrower, they won't bend right and if the walking paths are too narrow i won't be able to move between them. I also want everything to be as straight as i can get them, i don't want this to be an eyesore. With the white covers on everything for the first couple months, the garden is going to be highly visible and explaining it to people who might ask will be much easier if the presentation is....well, presentable.
But i think i will re-peg all corners and tie nylon string to them, and use the big 100' tape reel to measure and mark 1' increments with a sharpie. I can use pieces of flagging tape to make the marks visible from the opposite end of the garden. The permanent marks will help in case the tape pieces slide. Then i can pound in sticks and string a line for each bed across the garden. I can use the string to guide as i use the shovel to move the soil from the paths to the raised beds. They will probably be about 6" higher than the walking paths. Since i am only doing 2 foot wide, i should be able to manage, its only going to be 30' at a time. If i can get the strings done tomorrow and then 2 rows a day, it would only take 2 days. Then i could get the hoops set up on Thursday and then get some of the hardy seedlings planted out and some of the cool crop seeds sown, put the row covers on by Friday.
I think it is interesting that the Grow Veg program says our last frost date up here is May 1. Traditionally, we don't plant here until the last full moon in May... Maybe that is playing it too safe?
I think i need to re-read some things...! If i don't have to wait almost a whole 'nother month to plant things, i won't!
And i'm really trying to remember how often we got frosts after May 1st It is not proving to be easy. I remember many warm nights (though not as warm as last night). It might be that it referrs to tenders, but we always just did it all at once anyway. Maybe an online weather site has some sort of Almanac that took note of frosts and daily conditions. maybe i will have to commit more to this Blog and take note of daily highs, lows and presence of frost. I should get a soil thermometer too, that would be a useful piece of information as well. I despise having such a horrible memory!
But that is what this blog is supposed to help with.
The concept of multiple plantings is sort of new to me, i know it can be done and i think i remember my grandfather doing it when i was little, but it isn't something my parents took the time to do. So i have had to learn to expect to plant more than one thing in one spot in the garden. But working more than full time since before i got a house, i never had the time to think about it as much as i would have liked to, gardening has only been a weekend dream until now. So this i guess, is the year to unlearn some things now that my garden should be big enough to be a working garden and not just a hold out for 'someday' ... that day has finally arrived. The GrowVeg program has a custom guide that shows when to plant successive crops- if applicable. Its neat how it makes a chart of all the things placed in the garden plan. It also sends email reminders for planting times, and i think it also lets you plan the garden monthly as well as having a crop rotation guide.
My main issue with crop placement has been to make sure the tall stuff goes to the north side. When we planted the Jerusalem Artichokes, we were in a hurry, didn't have much time to plan and they had to be out of the way. The North side of the garden is closest to the house and if it was the only thing there, they would have gotten trampled.
Now as it is, i am going to have a shady spot next to them on the far side. I know the 3 Sisters style of planting... i have never tried it since my corn likes to fall over because of the wind alone. I can't imagine what squash vines would do to them... like watching the slow-motion vegetative version of a pack of wolves dragging down a megaloceros . So... maybe the JA's could handle the squashes? I have read about people saving the JA stems to use as stakes for next year's crop propping. Not as strong as bamboo stakes, but good enough to be useful. Maybe sturdy enough during growth to become supports?
So i put the vining things over there to try it out
The tomatoes and corn are going to be all the way to the Northern side, i am going to put the tomatoes at the front of that row and have the corn to the back i think... the shed can perhaps shield the corn from the wind and hopefully the fence will add some more protection.
Ok, off to check the preceding years' weather...
At 4:30pm it is in the low 80's and there were thunderstorms to the north of us, racing across the state, but they stayed well away from us and the ones that were in line to get us just faded out well before they got here. Its a little bit disappointing because i love a good thunderstorm.
I didn't take any pictures today, but the apple trees are just on the verge of blooming. There are apple trees in the area that are in bloom, but not mine quite yet.
I'm not sure how i am going to get the measuring done for the garden, i know how...but not quite when. I have to be somewhat precise with my rows and beds since i am using the hoop and row covers. I have to have 4 foot beds, and 2 foot walking rows. If the beds are wider the hoops won't fit, if it is narrower, they won't bend right and if the walking paths are too narrow i won't be able to move between them. I also want everything to be as straight as i can get them, i don't want this to be an eyesore. With the white covers on everything for the first couple months, the garden is going to be highly visible and explaining it to people who might ask will be much easier if the presentation is....well, presentable.
But i think i will re-peg all corners and tie nylon string to them, and use the big 100' tape reel to measure and mark 1' increments with a sharpie. I can use pieces of flagging tape to make the marks visible from the opposite end of the garden. The permanent marks will help in case the tape pieces slide. Then i can pound in sticks and string a line for each bed across the garden. I can use the string to guide as i use the shovel to move the soil from the paths to the raised beds. They will probably be about 6" higher than the walking paths. Since i am only doing 2 foot wide, i should be able to manage, its only going to be 30' at a time. If i can get the strings done tomorrow and then 2 rows a day, it would only take 2 days. Then i could get the hoops set up on Thursday and then get some of the hardy seedlings planted out and some of the cool crop seeds sown, put the row covers on by Friday.
I think it is interesting that the Grow Veg program says our last frost date up here is May 1. Traditionally, we don't plant here until the last full moon in May... Maybe that is playing it too safe?
I think i need to re-read some things...! If i don't have to wait almost a whole 'nother month to plant things, i won't!
And i'm really trying to remember how often we got frosts after May 1st It is not proving to be easy. I remember many warm nights (though not as warm as last night). It might be that it referrs to tenders, but we always just did it all at once anyway. Maybe an online weather site has some sort of Almanac that took note of frosts and daily conditions. maybe i will have to commit more to this Blog and take note of daily highs, lows and presence of frost. I should get a soil thermometer too, that would be a useful piece of information as well. I despise having such a horrible memory!
But that is what this blog is supposed to help with.
The concept of multiple plantings is sort of new to me, i know it can be done and i think i remember my grandfather doing it when i was little, but it isn't something my parents took the time to do. So i have had to learn to expect to plant more than one thing in one spot in the garden. But working more than full time since before i got a house, i never had the time to think about it as much as i would have liked to, gardening has only been a weekend dream until now. So this i guess, is the year to unlearn some things now that my garden should be big enough to be a working garden and not just a hold out for 'someday' ... that day has finally arrived. The GrowVeg program has a custom guide that shows when to plant successive crops- if applicable. Its neat how it makes a chart of all the things placed in the garden plan. It also sends email reminders for planting times, and i think it also lets you plan the garden monthly as well as having a crop rotation guide.
My main issue with crop placement has been to make sure the tall stuff goes to the north side. When we planted the Jerusalem Artichokes, we were in a hurry, didn't have much time to plan and they had to be out of the way. The North side of the garden is closest to the house and if it was the only thing there, they would have gotten trampled.
Now as it is, i am going to have a shady spot next to them on the far side. I know the 3 Sisters style of planting... i have never tried it since my corn likes to fall over because of the wind alone. I can't imagine what squash vines would do to them... like watching the slow-motion vegetative version of a pack of wolves dragging down a megaloceros . So... maybe the JA's could handle the squashes? I have read about people saving the JA stems to use as stakes for next year's crop propping. Not as strong as bamboo stakes, but good enough to be useful. Maybe sturdy enough during growth to become supports?
So i put the vining things over there to try it out
The tomatoes and corn are going to be all the way to the Northern side, i am going to put the tomatoes at the front of that row and have the corn to the back i think... the shed can perhaps shield the corn from the wind and hopefully the fence will add some more protection.
Ok, off to check the preceding years' weather...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Garden is almost ready!
My dad came over this morning and got started on the garden. I have had it staked out for a while, but we had to cut the plastic tape, but we left in the pegs...
First he spread out the compost/topsoil that he brought me yesterday. Which looked like this on Saturday :
Hubby had taken more of the manure stuff and tossed it on the pile on the left... but the compost is so nice and dark colored!
Ok, so...spreading it out...
There was a bit more of it over there, so he took it too.
Ant this is the first actual tilling of the soil to mix it in
It looks so good! (But, darn i can't wait for that fence to get finished)
All finished!
The yard slopes quite a bit, so my dad suggested that hubby take a few old boards we had lying around and make a retainer out of them for the back part of the garden. We had plenty of scrap and they did it pretty quickly.
I also had dad do the part in front of where i planted the JA's , i am going to put the rhubarb in there and possibly the horseradish, so i figured i might as well have that bit done. Otherwish hubby would have had to break it in for me with the mantis... would have taken him much longer.
It looks funny where it goes around the JA plot, but i'll try and neaten it up some other time. We were in a rush last fall, so our digging wasn't quite as straight as the garden.
Very good day.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. I didn't check the temperature but i think it hovered around Perfect. It wasn't dry, it wasn't sweltering...it was sunny, little warm breeze... just right. The Maine State Birds ( black flies )were out, but they weren't biting...too much..
Ok. Random spring pictures:
These are my tulips for the second round of spring bloom. They seem to come anywhere from 1-3 weeks after the Torontos.
This is a pink hyacinth that i do not remember planting. It has never appeared before that i know of and this is the first time i have seen it bloom. I have no idea how it got there. I must have put it there of course, but i thought i only put daffodills and crocus there. Either i simply forgot, or my package of daffs had a hyacinth stowaway. The daffs were planted at least 4 years ago...
Oh, this is the Hoya Shepherdi flower penduncle.... or what i am hoping is. Blurry, but worth taking note of so i know what to look for in the future:
The JA patch.... i think this was while i was trying to weed it... The plants are not even big enough to make them out in this pic....
Apple blossom buds, turning pink... Glad i happened to notice this Friday evening because i sprayed Saturday and took this picture later that day... they are just about to open now.
The beach plums that made it through the winter. The others got stepped on by mistake.... but i had to put them in drilled kitty litter buckets to protect them from being stepped on again. The pink strings were supposed to prevent it, but no such luck.
Not a good picture of them, but i can at least record when they break dormancy in the spring for next year. Though this is an early year for everything.
Veggies revisited. Again.
Kohlrabi, Burdock and Kale... doing well. Some of the other seeds in there are starting to come up, but are still small.
Pak Choi and Collards... a month after seeding today.
Welsh onions and Shallots (and a weed)
Lettuces... i need to trim out the twins....and eat them.
Assorteds
The other flat of assorteds... the tomatoes are looking good
Tomatoes and Tomatillo
Asparagus from seed.... so funny looking!
Another assorted flat
The citrus that i potted
The grape. With the green onions behind that i planted for green onion tops.
Big honking rosemary....
I keep forgetting to buy plastic cups to transplant them all into.
Goji doing really well...
The double flowered Rose of Sharon bush breaking dormancy. I don't really like the flowers much, some flowers don't double well and this is an example of that. Like hollyhocks, doubling the petals just detracts from the simple shape. These flowers look like they have been shredded by wind. I prefer the purple/blue shade of RoS, this one is a medium pink color. I might try to give this one away sometime later on. Replace it with something more to my tastes.
And the big Peegee Hydrangea is waking up. It looks stark dead for most of the spring, its one of the last things to wake up.
Almost 11pm
I'm going to try and measure out the rows tomorrow, then dig the paths and mound up the beds. Thats the plan whether it takes me all week or not, i guess i will find out. Its dependent on weather, nap times and pain levels.
First he spread out the compost/topsoil that he brought me yesterday. Which looked like this on Saturday :
Ok, so...spreading it out...
There was a bit more of it over there, so he took it too.
Ant this is the first actual tilling of the soil to mix it in
It looks so good! (But, darn i can't wait for that fence to get finished)
All finished!
The yard slopes quite a bit, so my dad suggested that hubby take a few old boards we had lying around and make a retainer out of them for the back part of the garden. We had plenty of scrap and they did it pretty quickly.
I also had dad do the part in front of where i planted the JA's , i am going to put the rhubarb in there and possibly the horseradish, so i figured i might as well have that bit done. Otherwish hubby would have had to break it in for me with the mantis... would have taken him much longer.
It looks funny where it goes around the JA plot, but i'll try and neaten it up some other time. We were in a rush last fall, so our digging wasn't quite as straight as the garden.
Very good day.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. I didn't check the temperature but i think it hovered around Perfect. It wasn't dry, it wasn't sweltering...it was sunny, little warm breeze... just right. The Maine State Birds ( black flies )were out, but they weren't biting...too much..
Ok. Random spring pictures:
These are my tulips for the second round of spring bloom. They seem to come anywhere from 1-3 weeks after the Torontos.
This is a pink hyacinth that i do not remember planting. It has never appeared before that i know of and this is the first time i have seen it bloom. I have no idea how it got there. I must have put it there of course, but i thought i only put daffodills and crocus there. Either i simply forgot, or my package of daffs had a hyacinth stowaway. The daffs were planted at least 4 years ago...
Oh, this is the Hoya Shepherdi flower penduncle.... or what i am hoping is. Blurry, but worth taking note of so i know what to look for in the future:
The JA patch.... i think this was while i was trying to weed it... The plants are not even big enough to make them out in this pic....
Apple blossom buds, turning pink... Glad i happened to notice this Friday evening because i sprayed Saturday and took this picture later that day... they are just about to open now.
The beach plums that made it through the winter. The others got stepped on by mistake.... but i had to put them in drilled kitty litter buckets to protect them from being stepped on again. The pink strings were supposed to prevent it, but no such luck.
Not a good picture of them, but i can at least record when they break dormancy in the spring for next year. Though this is an early year for everything.
Veggies revisited. Again.
Kohlrabi, Burdock and Kale... doing well. Some of the other seeds in there are starting to come up, but are still small.
Pak Choi and Collards... a month after seeding today.
Welsh onions and Shallots (and a weed)
Lettuces... i need to trim out the twins....and eat them.
Assorteds
Tomatoes and Tomatillo
Asparagus from seed.... so funny looking!
Another assorted flat
The citrus that i potted
The grape. With the green onions behind that i planted for green onion tops.
I keep forgetting to buy plastic cups to transplant them all into.
Goji doing really well...
The double flowered Rose of Sharon bush breaking dormancy. I don't really like the flowers much, some flowers don't double well and this is an example of that. Like hollyhocks, doubling the petals just detracts from the simple shape. These flowers look like they have been shredded by wind. I prefer the purple/blue shade of RoS, this one is a medium pink color. I might try to give this one away sometime later on. Replace it with something more to my tastes.
Almost 11pm
I'm going to try and measure out the rows tomorrow, then dig the paths and mound up the beds. Thats the plan whether it takes me all week or not, i guess i will find out. Its dependent on weather, nap times and pain levels.
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